a proclamation

Be it known that on this day, July 18th, in the year of our Lord 2019, the quilting has begun on this behemoth queen size quilt known as 365 challenge.   The idea of tracking actual hours required to finish crossed my mind briefly, but instead will take notice only of beginning and finishing dates.  the quilt is destined to grace the bed of dear daughter and son-in-law.  in the interim, some small wall quilts and tied donation quilts may be finished to initiate progress on the seemingly stagnant unfinished project list.

actual pattern and design for the quilting is somewhat flexible due to the enormous amount of seams in the many 3" blocks, but may be resigned to stitching in the ditch in those areas.  using aurifil 28 wt thread in a very pale ice blue tint, hoping the nearly full spool will be enough.  there will be a brief detour from this when thread to finish 'cabana daydreams' is on hand after vacation, as that is nearly done.  I attest this a true and factual account, sealed by my hand and signature....citymouse quilter!

home stretch?

well, being a mostly "glass half full" person i'd say yes indeed!

this project got started when hector was a pup, meaning eons ago....it's my perennial busy box sewing that gets toted everywhere there might be time to sew up a square or two.  only one more row meaning 64 more bow ties (63 really as i've got one left over)....decided to call it joseph's technicolor bowties....and i think it'll finally finish off the plum solid i bought at my first lancaster retreat in 2010....3 yards of it!   i'll definitely hand quilt and keep this one as it's probably something only its mother could love....but maybe down the road somebody else will too.   and while flipping thru a book, quilty muse inspired me to another wall quilt i've been wanting to make....first to finish the plaids tho.....had hoped 'cabana daydreams' would be done by now but the variegated thread has slithered off someplace so have to wait a while to see if it comes back, otherwise gotta replace. 

another detour

the july list has once again taken a back seat to some fun sewing....recently acquired this book...

ideal for me as much of my stash is fat quarters......inside was this project....

pretty plaids that enticed my quilty muse, so what's a quilter to do but....

once again, my choices resulted in a higher contrast.......will brighten up the apartment nicely i think.....good to get back to sewing after nearly a week tending to dear daughter who had successful surgery last week.   unfortunately the aftercare at this mega-city hospital was horrific at best.  some scary medication errors and lack of basic tasks left us leery and quite concerned for her postop well being.  thankfully our God watched over her and she came home quickly and is recovering quickly as well.   ***  it's a very hot week here with triple-digit temps by saturday.....time to stock up and hibernate!

update

no posts due to mom duties....more later....

detour sewing

left off my july list was the monthly rainbow scrap challenge blocks....but now they are done and they DO sew up very quick!   found some pink strips in the tote and some in the scrap basket but did have to raid the stash for a few.

now have 28 blocks done with 20 more to go....have no idea what they'll be used for but there are always donation requests of some sort.   ***  oppressive hot and humid weather here for the duration, at least until next week and probably beyond.  they are good days to stay in the cool and sew and, unlike snow days, much easier to run out for quick errands as the need arises....not at all like being snowed in.  ***  working the bernina every day with some things that can't be revealed yet.  cabana daydreams is on hold as the variegated thread has gone AWOL, along with a small USB drive.  had a hissy fit over it yesterday but both can be replaced.  as far as the USB goes, old stuff from laptop like medical expenses, tons of quilt photos, probably some old correspondence so nothing uber-secretive.  still, it's a feeling of being violated that infuriates me....back to sewing R and R.....

before and after

BEFORE july 4th, posted a list of goals for july....now AFTER happy to say one goal has been met!  it's the scrappy wall quilt that no longer takes up design wall space....this was the first version....the BEFORE

i tried following the values in the book  (Betsy Chutchian's 'quilts for all seasons') but found that my lights were too light, soooooo after some ripping and re-sewing, this is the final version aka AFTER....

today is declutter, a few household chores, and more tackling of the july list.  happy to say all pieces cut for the guild's october challenge plus more bow ties for the seemingly never-ending project that i think is nearly ready for flimsy stage.  got the newly acquired stash washed and dried and ready to use as well.   indulged in a celebratory hamburger for lunch, a welcome change from chicken!  july marches on and so must i!  

happy 4th of july!

no overgrown, overpaid little boy can take away what this flag represents to ALL americans, whether they agree or disagree with politics or the cultural history of the past....this flag gives everyone the right to express themselves, so by denigrating the flag they are discounting that right.....think about THAT CK!

vacation countdown!

starting to cross off the days until my summer aka cooler vacation in maine...can't wait to catch up with family and visit up close and personal....but the july sewing list is at the forefront today....what's on it?

1.  finish quilting the 'cabana daydreams'.....almost ready for the binding

2.  get the scrappy christmas trees to the flimsy stage....need 90, have just over half done

3.   finish up some border blocks for a wall quilt to get a flimsy....about 10 more to go

4.   october guild challenge project....templates prepped, fabrics pulled....it's a small wall quilt but can i get this to a flimsy too?

5.  and (hopefully) get another scrappy to the flimsy stage; it's a quasi-log cabin, dark blues and tans, only 12 blocks but they are 16", lots of strip cutting will need to be done....

all this plus the extensive cooking i routinely do, plus occasional housework, some volunteer duties, required grocery trips and all-important sleep.....already today have washed dishes and made a wild mushroom tart....so citygal, start that vacuum!  

homage

what better way to start off july than by honoring a long-ago quilter and some of her work....this piece was donated to the senior center in a box of stuff--some quilt tops and a few blocks in progress--and i quickly brought it to the supervisor as being vintage and worthwhile to preserve.  she mentioned the county heritage center, so i called them and offered it.  but because its county provenance could not be authenticated, they had no interest in the piece.

i could not bear to toss it out....it is hand pieced, and yes, wonky and imperfect, but the fabrics are clearly old.  deciding against fussing with it too much as it is fragile and stained, decided to just add this little printed chevron border and bind.  things like this always make me wonder about the maker....there were a few other blocks in progress but this was the only one completed.  it's a testament to someone's desire to create for whatever reason, and as annette funicello said, "life doesn't have to be perfect to be wonderful."   so too with quilts....

and since the dog days of summer are here for the entire week, some refreshing "green tea" will be on hand....the basting pile grows by one!

when friends....

give you scraps, you must make blocks!  pal marianne is currently making green churn dash blocks and i think the scraps she gave me are from that project....looks like some were leftovers from the GO cutter that she uses....

these are cute little paper-pieced Ts and will only make them until the background fabric is used up--about a yard.  got the foundation pattern from this book, also a pass along from marianne....i like paper piecing and the patterns in this book are fast and easy, just right for using up scraps

this little project will get finished and put in the "maybe sell"  or "maybe gift" pile....but i get to have the sewing fun!